Bad behavior in the thrifts!

[SecondhandSophisticate]

There is nothing--except maybe desperately-needed  quality medical care--that makes me tolerate bad behavior.  Maybe I should qualify that to "no object". People can be nuts, and it's only stuff.  I once was involved with an argument with a patron of a thrift over a piece of furniture, and it got ugly. She had people in the store **cheering** for her to beat me; they didn't know the story, but assumed she was right based on how we looked, and I know to this day she lied. But I walked away, as graciously as I could. She did me a huge favor, and I thank her for it, as later on I found exactly what I was looking for.  But it shocked me at the time---the mob mentality. Of course, the lady owned a "shabby chic" store in the area and the furniture piece she beat me out of was quality. But to me, it's not worth it. As has been said on this site, sooner or later everything winds up in a thrift.

I'll walk out of Neiman Marcus or Chanel as quickly as the Salvation Army if there is rudeness. My life is tooooo short for this BS, and NOTHING is worth it. Shabby treatment is shabby treatment, rudeness is rudeness, no matter if a thrift or some chi-chi exclusive boutique.  That goes for the staff as well as the patrons.

Do y'all remember in Scrooge:  The second Ghost, the Ghost of Abundance, had two children with him. The little girl was "Want" and the little boy was "Ignorance". The Ghost told Scrooge to beware of them both, but be "especially aware of Ignorance", and to me, that's what lack of respect and rudeness to a fellow human being is.

Enough of my rant!  Go gently, my friends.

Ciao and Good Vibes,
SeSo

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

Nicely expressed!!

I'm sorry to hear you both have endured such lunacy in a thrifting situation. Fortunately those incidents are few and far between. And I bet we all have gotten to talk to folks in the store who just seem SO NICE, or are just so excited about their finds.

But wow, when the behaviour is bad, it's so MEMORABLE.

[Big Daddy Audio]

I've heard of fights happening at one GW in Phoenix (Cops were called, and to this day will show up at random times just to maintain the peace - I wasn't there at the time of the fight, but was there when a Phoenix police officer escorted a cart with electronic goods on it out from the back sorting/pricing/processing area).  They're mostly over electronics and computer stuff.  I've also heard of people making payoffs to get all or at least part of the "cherry cream-of-the-crop" donations (This I have not witnessed, but have heard from "fairly" reliable sources).  Some people just have to have that next thing. 

You'll never be satisfied if this is how you roll.

That is all.

[alexandra]

But... what I think is really important, is that we be nice to the staff! I shop the same stores regularly and I really like the personnel that I've gotten to know.  So, if there is ever an issue, they are always really helpful.  And when an item is not priced and they have to come up with something, it tends to be quite acceptable.

IMO, we must always make a point of being nice to the staff -- that way if there is a problem, you get the benefit of the doubt since you are a "regular."

Every so often I buy something and the clerk at one store tells me "I knew you'd be interested in this."  That's kinda cool!

Thriftily,
Alexandra
www.livingwithoutmoney.blogspot.com

[Thrift Shop Romantic]

I'm known by a couple of the cashiers at the thrifts, and they're nice ladies, always interested to chat about the stuff that comes through the store. I've seen folks give them a bit of a hard time occasionally, and they SO don't deserve it.

People who have to deal with the public every day deserve credit and respect. It's not easy.

[SecondhandSophisticate]

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly.  You know the song by Dylan--"You've to Serve Somebody"?  Everybody serves, which means we all do. And it's very neat to be remembered by staff anywhere for being a kind decent human being who respects what others do for a living and for being fellow humans to begin with.  I trust my thrifter staff friends to be honest about something looks when I try it on, if I am doubtful, and they always are, and they haven't been wrong yet.

Some of the most interesting people I've met, I've met in thrifts over the years. We're an incredible group of interesting people!!!

[silentwords621]

Today while I was at the Salvation Army in Wheaton, MD, there was this woman with her teenage/pre-teen daughter (13-14?) and a baby (no clue if the baby was the mother's or the daughter's, since the daughter was with him the most) and the daughter was working my last nerves.

I was in an aisle breezing through the items, when the girl wheels the stroller over near me and just stops. Instead of politely asking "excuse me" so she could get through she just stood there and watched me. That mess annoys the mess out of me. Since she wasn't going to use manners, I moved aside and she passed me. I thought she didn't speak English because she spoke to her mother in Spanish, but good manners should be able to translate into any language and culture, you know?

I'm browsing through another section of the store when the girl knocks into me without saying "excuse me." What is her deal?! "Perdon," I say, which is Spanish for "excuse me." I later find out that it wasn't a language problem but an attitude problem because the chick was speaking perfectly good English! What I didn't like was that when she used English she got an attitude with the little baby.

The last straw was when the mother was too into her own world and the daughter left the baby alone in his stroller in an aisle. He cried in terror. I looked at that girl and said "Leaving that baby in his stroller...good lord." She finally went to him, picked him up out of the stroller and calmed him down. I didn't have anymore incidents with them afterwards because I avoided them like the plague. I hate people like that. No manners and no class.

[secondhandnation]

Everyone talks about kids behaving badly, and yes, they do this wherever they are.  It's difficult talking to patrons about their kids as a staff member - they get pissy at times.  One time, one of our older volunteers, a Franciscan nun, brought a little boy to find his mom, as he was locking all the dressing rooms and then slamming them shut after he slithered out the bottom.

The mom, who always ignored this little kid, and spent far too much time browsing than a 5 year old boy could ever stand, said, "Well, now Jeremiah, now you've done it.  She's yelling at you because your black.  Get over here." 

So, our volunteer nun lady felt totally awful for the rest of the day.  Wonderful, huh?  It got to the point where we had to consult with the manager before anyone would dare ask an unruly kid to stop running or something. 

[Good Buddy]

"Well, now Jeremiah, now you've done it.  She's yelling at you because your black.  Get over here."

That customer is a fool!
She should have said, "Well, now Jeremiah, now you've done it. Get over here."
But she had to make it a racial thing. Was the child acting up, Yes. Was it because the child was black that he was singled out, No! He was singled out because he was acting up.
If I was a patron and standing there, I would have told little miss Sharpton the truth of the matter and told her to keep her racism to herself!

So, our volunteer nun lady felt totally awful for the rest of the day.

How dare that beast ruin a wonderful person's day. The volunteer nun had nothing to feel bad about other than pity for a lady who can't see past her own color.
And unfortunately the child is learning that it's okay to play the victim because of race rather than take responsibility for your actions.
Not cool!

[Jay2TheRescue]

Everyone talks about kids behaving badly, and yes, they do this wherever they are.  It's difficult talking to patrons about their kids as a staff member - they get pissy at times.  One time, one of our older volunteers, a Franciscan nun, brought a little boy to find his mom, as he was locking all the dressing rooms and then slamming them shut after he slithered out the bottom.

The mom, who always ignored this little kid, and spent far too much time browsing than a 5 year old boy could ever stand, said, "Well, now Jeremiah, now you've done it.  She's yelling at you because your black.  Get over here." 

So, our volunteer nun lady felt totally awful for the rest of the day.  Wonderful, huh?  It got to the point where we had to consult with the manager before anyone would dare ask an unruly kid to stop running or something. 

I often have to tell children to behave in my business (No kid thinks its fun to go to the drycleaners), and no customer of mine better say anything like that in front of me because I will correct them immediately.

-Jay

[Zed Simon]

Boy, I saw one today. Customer and cashier behaving badly. Apparently a woman was taking longer to check out than the cashier liked because she was checking out a couple things near the counter, so the cashier told her to hurry up. Her son came back with a "how dare you" remark. Cashier escalated things a little with a remark of her own, then Son (who I'd figure to be in his early 40s) loudly asked Cashier, "How would you like it if someone told YOUR mother to hurry up?" Cashier came back with another snipe about Mother having all her shopping done before she gets to the line, and then it culminated in the guy leaving the store with a nice, loud "F'k you, lady!" and a "Hey!" from just about everyone in earshot.

Bad day much?

[silentwords621]

I went back to the same Salvation Army on the 4th and I overheard these men who happened to be gay talking about their lovers, so loudly and inappropriately. There's a time and place for that talk...and a public thrift store in the middle of the afternoon is not it!

I don't care if you're gay or straight---leave the sexual talk out of the thrifts!

[Jay2TheRescue]

I saw something really bad today.  It wasn't exactly in the store, but in the parking lot.  A young woman with a 2 y/o boy just pulled down his pants and told him to pee in the parking lot.  (Right beside my car!) There was a public restroom inside.

-jay